


Vampire-less Weekend

by Skyson



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV)
Genre: F/M, Flirting, Friendship/Love, Future Fic, Holidays, Post-Season/Series 07 Finale, Thanksgiving
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-10
Updated: 2019-12-10
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:00:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21748672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skyson/pseuds/Skyson
Summary: Thanksgiving in England, Buffy and Giles from everyone's point of view except for Buffy's and Giles'.
Relationships: Rupert Giles/Buffy Summers
Comments: 13
Kudos: 41





	Vampire-less Weekend

**Author's Note:**

> Listened to the song below as I was writing. I really liked that light-hearted casual love song vibe, like an old school folk ballad. It's sweet and simple and covers the ideas that similar things go together as well as opposites attracting. Sometimes it's crazy to explain exactly how something (or some people) go together - they just do, simple as that. And even when it's that simple, it still will take work to keep them together, as all relationships do. Hopefully this story mirrors some of that fun light-hearted feeling.
> 
> Written in one shot while I was cooking dinner, so any mistakes are most definitely mine. I borrowed Rowena and Kennedy (and the Scoobs) but just randomly named all the other 'kids'. I sort of half borrowed the title because I couldn't think of one that I liked so just decided to be punny...

* * *

**——— ——— ———**

"Wait - we're going _where_?" Nina exclaimed nervously. Rowena and Kennedy rolled their eyes toward one another.

"Giles'." Kennedy repeated. "His place is big enough for all of us."

"But he's- he's not American!" Nina reasoned desperately, and Rowena sighed.

"Buffy is. She's hosting."

" _Buffy? Summers?!_ "

"Well, that didn't help." Kennedy muttered, then said to the younger Slayer, "Look, if you don't wanna come then don't, but, we're both going." She hesitated before admitting, "I'm kinda looking forward to something strictly American. I've been in London for too long."

"I'm coming!" Nina insisted, though she still looked terrified.

"He doesn't _bite_ ," Rowena snorted. "And he's a way better Headmaster than the _last_ guy, so,"

"Buffy might," Kennedy raised her eyebrow. "You remember the last time they were together? And that was with work to distract them from their problems.”

"That was them distracted?" Rowena grimaced, and Nina paled further, not knowing exactly what the girls were talking about, but guessing enough from the tones of their voices.

"C'mon," Kennedy huffed, nudging the teenager toward the door. "We're gonna miss the train if we don't get hustling."

**———**

"Xander!" Willow squealed joyfully as she leapt into her best friend's arms, and he laughed as he swung her around, hugging her tightly.

"Hey, Willow. It's damn good to see you."

"Watch the language!" Buffy called out from the kitchen. "We've got kids coming!"

"They're _S_ _layers_ , Buffy," Xander replied back. "And teenaged ones at that!"

Willow laughed at their sassing and gave Xander one more big squeezing hug before they let one another go.

"I've missed you guys _so much_ ,"

"C'mon," Xander grinned, picking up the bag Willow had dropped in preparation of their hug. "You know how she gets. Let's get in there."

Buffy was indeed stirring something on the stove, as Giles stood at the sink, peeling and rinsing potatoes. Willow felt like she was living out deja vu.

"Hello, Willow," He greeted with a soft smile, and she squealed again before hugging his back. He grunted but relaxed in her embrace, and set down the peeler for a moment to pat her arm fondly.

"Giles is here!"

"It _is_ my home," He pointed out.

"I would have figured you'd let Buffy have run of the place and sneak out to save yourself," Willow replied teasingly.

"Hey!" Buffy protested, but then Willow let go of the Watcher and leapt at her other best friend, hugging her back as well. "Oof! Hi, Will," Buffy laughed.

"Oh, you sound happy!" Willow crooned. "You look happy!"

"I am happy!" Buffy was still half-protesting, though her laugh still colored her tone, as well.

"But it's Thanksgiving! And we're feeding a bunch of Slayers. You're not stressed?" Willow wondered, pulling away to let Buffy continue working. She set her bag on an empty spot of the island counter and began digging out the food she'd brought.

"Course I'm stressed." Buffy informed her. "But..."

"When I got in this morning I caught them smoking weed in the backyard," Xander whispered loudly, and Willow gaped. Buffy blushed, bit her lip, and grinned down toward the pot she was stirring.

"I- w-we," Giles stammered defensively, "Just a little. To- to relax."

"I'm too uptight," Buffy rolled her eyes, and Willow continued to gape at them both. Buffy snickered at her expression, and then put the lid back over the pot on the stove and knelt to check the oven. "Turkey's coming along!"

" _You_ smoked weed?" Willow exclaimed.

"I- on occasion," Giles was even more defensive than before, but Willow interrupted him,

"Not you - Buffy!"

"Wait, why am _I_ the surprising one?" Buffy wondered.

"You're kidding, right?" Xander laughed. "We're talking about Ripper here!"

"Now, n-none of that when the others arrive." Giles warned, and Xander grinned teasingly.

"Don't want to ruin the image of Mr. Headmaster Giles, huh?"

"They _are_ my subordinates," Giles reminded him. "Many of them underage, and- and in my care."

"Hey, are those all peeled yet?" Buffy asked, stepping beside him to peer into the strainer he was putting the peeled potatoes in. She rested her hand against the middle of his back, and Willow raised her eyebrow at that. "Let's get you off potato duty. I mean, unless you want to, but you've been - Xander, can you quarter 'em and then boil some water for them?"

"Boil 'em, mash 'em, stick 'em in a stew!" Xander sang, then snagged the large pot and filled it with water before doing a little spin toward the stove.

"Okay, okay, don't make a mess." Buffy drawled. She followed him to salt the water, and then grabbed Giles' arm and tugged him over. "Check these for me?"

"Hm," Giles lifted the lid partially to check the pot Buffy had previously been working with.

It didn't pass Willow's notice that Buffy's hand was still on his arm.

"If you leave these on much longer, they'll get mushy." Giles warned.

"Well, that's the point." Buffy reasoned, and Giles raised his eyebrows in surprise at her. "These are for you. I had Willow bring more so us _normal_ people can eat _regular_ peas."

"You... you're making me mushy peas?" Giles wondered softly, smiling slowly, as did Willow, though hers was more in surprise and Giles' was more in pleasure.

"Course." Buffy let go of his arm and then nudged him with her elbow, grinning up at him. "You're letting us use your house, after all; it’s the least I could do. You love mushy peas."

"Thank you, Buffy." Giles said warmly, and she smiled wider before ducking her head.

Willow glanced toward Xander, finding him giving her a pointed look. She widened her eyes in question, and he shrugged and rolled his.

"Willow!" Buffy suddenly announced, startling her. "Speaking of peas, do you mind? And mix in the carrots too?"

"Sure thing, Buffy." Willow swallowed down her questions, for now. "Just point me toward the cutting board."

**———**

Joel sat with Nina and Rafael on the couch in the living room, all three of them dead quiet as they watched the goings on in the kitchen. Having been given a tour of the place already, they knew the kitchen was the largest room in the house - “This is practically a _mansion_! How much money does he have???” Rafael had hissed under his breath as the girl who had introduced herself as Willow had shown them around.

Willow. _Rosenberg_. Joel couldn’t believe he was not only staring at Buffy Summers, but almost the entire Sunnydale crew was here as well. Cooking them a Thanksgiving meal.

It was surreal, to say the least.

He watched as Buffy mixed some kind of batter in a large bowl, teasing something at Mr. Giles and following him around the island counter as he tried to keep away from her.

“Come on!”

“It isn’t cooked, Buffy- ”

“So what? It's not gonna kill you. Trust me, Giles! Taste it!” She held out the spoon toward him, the bowl beneath it to catch slow drips of batter as Mr. Giles shook his head and pressed his lips together. Buffy huffed, and put the spoon back in the bowl and the bowl on the counter. “Fine. But it’s good, I swear.”

“I believe you.” Mr. Giles placated.

“I’m a better baker than I am a cook! And I'm a better cook, now!”

“I know that.” Mr. Giles said more gently, and Joel tilted his head curiously.

As far as anyone knew, Buffy Summers had spent the last few years traveling around Europe, making connections with new Slayers and taking out vampires and generally staying well away from the Watcher Headquarters (and School) in London. And Joel had heard enough rumors about Mr. Giles and his ex-Slayer. Not to mention what was written in the history books.

And yet, they seemed so _friendly_ now. So… normal? Like they were used to each other.

Joel realized Buffy had an aloof grin on her face, and almost quicker than a blink, he watched her dip her finger into the batter and then leap at Mr. Giles, clinging to his back with her legs around his waist and an arm around his shoulders.

“Buffy!”

“I won’t let go ’til you taste it!” She crowed, laughing, and Joel gaped in astonishment as Mr. Giles only laughed, as well.

“You guys, come on - we’re supposed to be _working_ ,” Xander complained, though he was smiling in amusement.

Buffy waved her batter-covered finger in Mr. Giles’ face.

“C’mon, Giles, before the children catch you goofing off.” Buffy teased, and he made a protesting noise.

He muttered something that Joel couldn’t hear, and then quickly grabbed her finger between his lips, pulling his mouth away as if he thought no one might notice if he acted quickly enough. He made a surprised, and then mildly sheepish expression, as he swallowed and licked his lips.

“That’s good.”

“I’m sorry, what was that?” Buffy grinned widely.

“You heard me.” Mr. Giles huffed, and Buffy laughed happily as she let him go and hopped off of his back.

“Tooollldd youuuu!” Buffy sang, and Mr. Giles smiled at her as he sighed and shook his head.

“What’s happening?” Nina wondered quietly.

"Two eight-by-eights, please, Giles!" Buffy requested in a sort of goofy tone, and he squinted at her. "What? I said please."

"Mhm." Mr. Giles moved toward one of the cabinets and pulled out a couple of baking pans for her. "If I hear 'Jeeves' even once today- "

"What!" Buffy gasped. "I would never!"

Joel watched as Willow turned slowly toward Xander, and made an odd face at him. He shrugged at her, and Joel said to Nina,

"I'm not sure any of us know."

**———**

"Go on, Buffy," Xander nudged the Slayer. "We've got this for a while. It's mostly all watching pots and pans and doing a little stirring every now and then. Go take the little Slayers out for some sparring or something. They're all awkward and tense."

"I don't- " Buffy hesitated, glancing toward Giles. "I haven't really worked with a big group in a long time. Besides, they don't know me,"

"They _do_ know you," Xander corrected her. "And that's the problem. You're a heroine from a book, Buffy. You should show them you're a real person like the rest of us - maybe it'll get 'em to loosen up a little."

"I think that's an excellent idea." Giles said, and Buffy rolled her eyes.

"Of course you do - you've only been trying to get me to teach some classes for _years_ , now."

"Well, you're a wonderful resource to have- "

"I'm a _resource_?"

"W-well, I- I didn’t mean,"

"Giles should go along!" Willow butted in before their argument could really grow. Giles immediately looked against the idea, and Buffy didn't necessarily look excited at the thought.

"I- Buffy knows the grounds well, she doesn't need- "

"Buffy knows the grounds?" Xander interrupted, curiously eyeing Buffy. "How does Buffy know the grounds?"

"I've been here before, Xander." Buffy huffed, folding her arms across her chest, her tone telling him it wasn't a big deal. "Lots of times."

_"Lots of times?"_ Xander repeated, and Giles pursed his lips.

"It's a bit chilly, but if they'd like to spar we can do it in the barn." Giles told Buffy, pointedly ignoring Xander now. "The horses are out in the field today."

"Yay, hay in ungodly places again!" Buffy snarkily sang, and Giles snorted before quickly schooling his features and leaving the kitchen.

_"Again?"_ Xander repeated, looking toward Willow, who was too busy giving Buffy a suspicious look to notice.

"What?" Buffy noticed Willow's look. "We've sparred in there a couple times, when the grass was too wet."

"You and Giles?" Willow clarified, and Buffy frowned at her.

"Why are you making it sound so scandalous? It's _Giles_. I've been training with him for years."

"But you _haven't_ been, for like the past five." Willow pointed out, and Buffy half turned away, not quite looking at either one of them.

"Well we are now, so,"

"How many times have you been here, Buffy?" Willow wondered.

"Why does that matter?" Buffy asked defensively, and Willow glanced toward Xander.

"Because as Head of the Council I happen to get the itinerary of our school Headmaster whenever he has to travel for work - and he's made a lot of side stops in Bath after these trips." Xander informed her, and Buffy blinked.

"It's his _house_ , Xander. He's probably checking on the animals, the housekeepers, maybe grabbing winter clothes he forgot to take to his place on campus." Buffy reasoned.

"Or he's meeting up with his Slayer." Willow drawled teasingly, and Buffy turned redder than Xander had seen her do in a long time. _That_ surprised him more than anything.

"So what if we are?" Buffy huffed, wiping her hands clean on the small towel hanging on the oven handle. "I'm on the road constantly. Giles lets me stay here whenever I need to and occasionally we try to time it up together. We miss each other. _You_ guys get to see him practically all the time, at least compared to me, so- "

"It's not a bad thing, Buff," Willow soothed, and furrowed her brow as she let out a breath of air.

"Well," Buffy grumbled, "you sure make it sound like,"

"We're just confused." Xander told her. "Far as we know Giles avoids everything he can about you, and you pretty much do the same about him."

"I... was. For a while." Buffy admitted softly. "But not anymore. We're... better now."

"Obviously." Willow quirked her eyebrow, and Buffy frowned again. "I haven't seen you really goof off like that with him since we were freshmen, Buffy." Willow pointed toward the direction Giles had disappeared to. "When were you gonna tell us you guys were peachy again? Half the time I'm bending over backwards to keep from mentioning him in our conversations because I think it's gonna annoy you."

"Sorry about that..." Buffy murmured sincerely. "But it was easier to... we were figuring things out, Willow. How to be, um, ourselves. With each other. Without everything else."

"That makes sense." Willow told her gently, smiling. "I just wish maybe you'd said something... we would've given you guys space."

"Would you?" Buffy raised her eyebrow, glancing toward Xander too. "You guys showed up here at practically the crack of dawn the minute you found out we were both here together. And that was when you thought we still didn't like being around one another."

"Uhhh that was why," Xander tried to explain, knowing he looked more sheepish than confident about his explanation. "We figured we'd be the buffers between you guys."

"Right." Buffy snorted, and then smirked a little, knowingly. They'd been excited at the idea of the four of them all together again, just themselves, for a little bit. Xander smiled back, at ease with the whole thing more now.

Though...

"You guys smoke _pot_ together now, though?"

"Oh my God, Xander." Buffy laughed. "Stop talking about that before the others hear. Giles would have a _cow_ if any of the students found out."

"Buffy?" Giles reappeared, Buffy's coat in hand. "I've offered to show the others around the grounds; they're bundling up now. Kennedy has even offered to be your sparring partner, to show some techniques."

"Of course she did," Buffy laughed softly, approaching Giles and turning as he helped her into her coat. "She takes every opportunity to try and take me down." Giles raised his eyebrow, and she smirked at him. "She hasn't succeeded, yet, but I like to let her try."

Giles half-smiled, proudly, and stepped back to give Buffy room to zip up her coat. She tucked her arm around his as they headed toward the front door together, and Willow narrowed her eyes thoughtfully as she watched them.

"What are you thinking?" Xander asked her as he turned to check on the potatoes, now mashed.

"Do you know why Buffy was so angry at Giles, so hurt, for so long?" Willow asked him in a tone that said _she_ knew.

"Becaaause he left when she thought she needed him the most?" Xander guessed, stirring a little more butter into the warm mash.

"Because- well, yes, actually - but also, because she was..." Willow suddenly hesitated, and Xander put his hands on his hips as he left the potatoes alone for a moment.

"You can't start this conversation and then not finish your point."

"She was in love with him."

Xander blinked, wanting to be surprised, but he really wasn't. He'd seen it, at least that last year in Sunnydale. He'd thought it was a lost cause, though.

"Like, _really_ in love with him. And I don't think she ever really stopped being in love with him."

"So... what, you think she's told him? That's why they're so chummy now?"

"Well..." Willow looked confused. "They aren't really acting... _together_. So I guess she hasn't told him. I'm just surprised I guess. She really does seem happier than she's been in ages."

"I agree. And she said she was," Xander reasoned, but Willow still looked unsure about something. "Look, Will," Xander faced the stove again to check on the veggies. "Why don't we just get through today, and see what happens?"

"Sure." Willow agreed.

After a minute of the two of them puttering about the kitchen, she spoke up again,

"If they're really not together maybe they just need some encouragement."

"Woah, woah woah - we are _not_ setting up _Buffy and Giles_." Xander protested in a hiss, though they were the only ones left in the house currently.

"Why not? We know they love one another."

"And there's a hell of lot of other stuff between them, too," Xander reminded her seriously. "I don't think we should mess with that, Willow. Buffy had a good point about spending time with Giles alone. We could just complicate stuff."

"Or,"

" _Also_ ," Xander pressed, "we've got a Giles-Mansion full of other Slayers- and Watchers-in-training. I don't think either of them would appreciate us trying to do something in front of the others."

"Good point." Willow muttered.

"Let's just see how today goes, huh?" Xander said again, gently, and Willow nodded.

"Alright. But tell me more about these trips to Bath! How many times has he come here?"

"What," Xander laughed, "you think they're coming here for secret steamy rendezvous?"

Willow was staring at him when he glanced toward her, and he grimaced.

"Yeah, I don't wanna think about that."

**———**

Rowena smiled and laughed in excitement as she got upended head-over-feet into a pile of hay.

"You shouldn't be _amused_ by losing a fight," Buffy drawled, holding a hand out to help her stumble to her feet.

"Oh, it's itchy!" She exclaimed, wiggling and shaking her arms and legs free of hay pieces.

"Throw me next!" Nina bounded up toward Kennedy, who laughed and then raised her eyebrow toward Buffy.

Buffy sighed, and shrugged, then stepped back toward Mr. Giles who was leaning against a support beam out of the way of what previously had been their sparring matches.

"Let them have their fun. This is technically a holiday. In their home country anyway." He grinned and winked at Buffy, who stared at him as if he'd grown three heads.

"Who _are_ you?" She gaped. "'Let them have fun'???"

"Har, har."

Nina's happy shout filled the air, until she disappeared into the pile of hay. A couple of the guys leapt forward to dig her out, all of them laughing as they lost their balance and the three of them tumbled to the ground.

Rowena smiled fondly as she watched the others, standing a bit in the middle between them and the two 'adults'. The younger ones really weren't so much younger than her, but she still felt she should act a little more mature - she had fought at Sunnydale, after all.

"You want me to throw you in?" Buffy grinned, catching Rowena's attention again.

"Absolutely not." Mr. Giles told her firmly, quickly twisting away when she reached for his arm. She laughed and let him step away, but Rowena recognized that look in Buffy's eye.

The Slayer had found a target.

"Come on, it looks fun," Buffy began to give him a little pout, at which he snorted.

"I am far too old to go jumping into hay piles, Buffy."

"You can't fool me!" Buffy laughed, reaching for him again, but then suddenly someone - Kennedy - had swooped her arm around Rowena's middle and chucked her toward the hay pile again.

By the time she scrambled out on her hands and knees, one of the other girls was sparring with Kennedy again.

She'll have to get her revenge later.

"Hey, Rowena?" Joel approached her as she got to her feet and brushed herself off, a harried grin on her face. "Do you mind showing me that spin kick move of yours?"

"It's dangerous to do if you don't have Slayer speed," Rowena warned the young Watcher-to-be, and he nodded.

"I'd just like to know it, you know, maybe teach it to my Slayer one day."

"Oh?" She quirked an eyebrow at him, teasing. "Know you're gonna have a Slayer of your own some day huh?"

"Well..." He blushed and ducked his head, before glancing toward Buffy and Mr. Giles, who were leaning against one another's sides and talking too-quietly-to-be-heard about the sparring match. "Strictly speaking odds, I probably will. I mean, I dunno who it would be, but..."

"Yeah," Rowena gave his shoulder a light punch. "I can show you. Come on over here where there's more room."

Conveniently, the placement also put her close enough to hear Buffy and Mr. Giles' conversation again, too. To her disappointment they really were discussing the sparring match, so she mostly focused on working with Joel and showing him some stuff.

"If you shift the angle of your planted foot," Mr. Giles' voice was suddenly directed toward her, "You should be able to lift your kick higher."

Rowena corrected and then performed the move again, spying the pleased look on Buffy's face. That filled her with pride even more than the Headmaster's approval; he might technically be the one to impress in order to graduate, but Buffy was _The Slayer_.

"Good," Mr. Giles hummed, but when Rowena settled both feet back on the ground and faced him, he had shifted his focus to watch Buffy.

She must've been watching Rowena and Joel as well, because now she was trying the kick move, and Rowena had to admit that she hoped she looked half as good doing it as Buffy did - and it was _her_ move.

"Hm, not quite," Mr. Giles' voice was quiet, like he was trying to be unobtrusive, and he stood at Buffy's back without hesitation, his hands shifting Buffy's stance with a familiar kind of touch. She responded to his instruction immediately, letting him guide her as needed. "This is where you want to finish."

"Got it."

He stepped back, tilting his head slightly as she went through the motions again.

Rowena and Joel stood side-by-side and watched them work, both of more interested in this dynamic than in the sparring going on behind them. When Rowena had worked with them in Sunnydale, Buffy and Mr. Giles hadn’t exactly been Watcher-and-Slayer, and Joel had never yet seen an active Slayer work with her Watcher.

Well, technically, ex-Watcher - but Rowena knew better.

The books were wrong. It was obvious that Mr. Giles would always be Buffy's Watcher; Rowena could see it in the way they moved and responded together now. There was a connection between Watchers and their Slayers, born from training and circumstance. Strengthened through battle.

It was a beautiful thing to observe.

"You're still dropping your shoulder," Mr. Giles touched his palm against the side of her arm as she shadow-boxed, and she glanced over her shoulder to glare at him. "Oof!" He grunted as she elbowed him in the stomach, but his palm lingered against her arm, and they were both smiling.

Rowena frowned, starting to feel weirdly confused. For a second they had looked... strangely intimate. In a different way than expected.

"That's a cool move, Rowena." Buffy suddenly announced, paying attention to her little audience once more. "Mind if I use it from time to time?"

"Sure," Rowena shrugged, and grinned. "Then I can tell everybody The Slayer uses one of _my_ moves."

Buffy laughed, and looked away for a second as if she were embarrassed about something. Rowena remembered that Buffy preferred the fact she wasn't the only Slayer anymore, so she offered up a small smile and then tugged Joel back toward the others.

"Just another person, huh," Buffy murmured.

"Well, you'll always be in a higher position to this generation. You are the prime example of a successful Slayer."

"Don't sound so proud of yourself," Buffy laughed.

"Well, I _did_ train you."

"You are impossible,"

They both laughed, then, and Rowena decided that even though it was kind of weird to be celebrating a holiday at the Headmaster's house, she was glad that she chose to come.

**———**

The large dining room table was just getting set when the final arrival burst through the doors.

"I'm here!" Dawn called out loudly, setting her bag off to the side by the door. She glanced into the dining room, nodded and smiled hello at the vaguely familiar faces she saw in there, and then followed the noises coming from other parts of the house. "Giles? This place is _huge_ , _Jesus_ ,"

"Language." Buffy scolded, suddenly standing in front of Dawn, and she shrieked and leaned back, but then immediately leapt forward and threw her arms around her sister.

"Buffy! My sister! My most favorite sibling in the whole world!" Dawn crowed as they hugged one another tightly (but not too tightly, thankfully, on Buffy's part).

"I'm your _only_ sibling." Buffy grumbled, but her hug lingered just as long as Dawn's had. "I've missed you, kid. How have you been? How have Ireland's castles been treating you?"

"Well, the history is cool, but architecturally after a while you've seen one, you've seen 'em all. Still though - it's gorgeous, Buffy. You should really get over there sometime." Dawn replied as they parted.

"Where is next, for you?" Buffy wondered, stepping back to give Dawn a look over. Dawn did a little twirl, happily accepting the attention. "Rome?"

"Greece actually, first. We had a bit of change of plans. Greg thought avoiding the high tourist season would be beneficial,"

"Oh, _Greg_ _thought_ , huh?" Buffy raised her eyebrow, and Dawn rolled her eyes.

"I've told you - he's my research partner,"

"Of course - I bet you guys have chances to research all _kinds_ of things out there on the road, studying architecture..."

"Shut up." Dawn laughed.

"I hear a sisterly spat!" Xander called out from what Dawn guessed was the kitchen, and she bounded in to find him along with Willow and Giles.

"Hi, Xander," Dawn grinned, hesitating to hug him.

She still had a bit of a crush on him, admittedly. Not as much as she used to, when she saw him all the time, but every now and then it lingered.

"Dawn! Buffy told me you wouldn't be able to make it this year," Giles greeted her happily, but shot Buffy a dirty look. She made an innocent face back at him, but then Dawn wasn't paying her any more attention because Giles had his arms wrapped around her.

He always gave _the best_ hugs.

"Hi Dad! Surprise!" Dawn teased, and she knew he was blushing even without seeing his face.

"Dad?" A girl's voice Dawn didn't recognize repeated in confusion.

"He helped me get Dawn through high school," Buffy sort of explained.

"Just in time for dinner, Dawnie," Willow announced before plastering herself against Dawn's back, sandwiching her in a hug before Giles could let her go.

"Scooby huggage!" Xander crowed, joining in, and Buffy did from the other side, and soon it was the five of them standing in a huddle in the middle of the kitchen.

"Er... wasn't dinner ready?" The same girl who'd spoken before piped up again, after nobody had moved for a minute.

"Quite right." Giles cleared his throat awkwardly, but he couldn't really get out of the hug until Buffy and Xander moved first.

Dawn was interested to see the way Buffy's arm lingered around Giles' waist, and the way he smiled happily at her.

Like he'd _enjoyed_ that moment he normally would have found totally uncomfortable.

"Heya Giles, point me toward the bathroom? I wanna wash up a bit before we eat." She requested, also wanting a second alone with him.

"Certainly," He gestured she precede him down the hall, and she couldn't help but smile at the familiar sound of his footsteps behind her.

It had been _forever_ since she's seen Giles.

She grabbed him up in another hug again, outside of the bathroom. He rested his chin against the top of her head and squeezed her tightly against his chest.

"It's wonderful to have you here, Dawn."

"It's wonderful to be here," She mumbled against his sweater, breathing in his comfortingly familiar scent. She stepped back, and he brushed his hand against her hair before completely letting her go. She appraised him again, a little more closely this time, and raised her eyebrow. "Jeans? And a sweater that actually fits you? Giles! Who's the lucky lady?"

"Um, what?" He suddenly looked wrong-footed, and his cheeks tinged slightly red.

"You look good!" Dawn grinned at him. "And happy. I'm glad, Giles." She quickly hugged him again before turning and shutting herself away in the bathroom. She still kind of wanted to interrogate him a little, though. Maybe he'd be more likely to answer if his face was hidden from her. "How have things been at the school?" Dawn called through the door as she ran the hot tap until the water felt warm enough to splash on her face.

"Ehm, fine. Good, actually." She heard him lean against the door to rest while they chatted. "I'm not traveling as much as I needed to those first couple of years, thankfully. Quite a few of the older Watchers have agreed to come out of retirement to help teach, as well."

"That's great, Giles." Dawn replied earnestly.

"Of course, it would be nice if your sister taught a course every now and then." Giles grumbled, but he didn't sound as complainy about it as Dawn would have expected. "I've been trying to bribe her for months. Even when she's here, she has some sort of excuse otherwise... and I always let her."

"Even when she's here?" Dawn repeated, perking up at that. She found another hand towel in the little rack above the toilet and dried the water from her face, staring at her reflection as she asked Giles in what she hoped was a completely innocent voice, "How often is that?"

"Oh, as often as she can manage it. About a week every month or so, this last year, which has been lovely- " Giles suddenly stopped speaking.

Dawn beamed at herself, amazed by what she'd just heard but trying to stay calm about it. She silently did a quick happy jig, but settled herself before replying perfectly casually,

"Oh, that's good. So you guys are getting along again?"

"Erm... eh, yes." Giles replied haltingly. Dawn gritted her teeth against the excited squeal that threatened to escape.

"Awesome. That's great, Giles. Really great." Dawn told him earnestly, quickly washing her hands.

"Yes. Indeed it is." His reply was soft, but Dawn could hear it, and she danced her hips excitedly.

"Hey Giles?" Dawn asked, drying her hands and hanging the towel back on the hook before grasping the door handle.

"Yes?" When he responded, she wrenched the door open, and he jumped, startled by the sudden movement.

"You're in love with my sister." She informed him.

He blinked at her, his startled expression shifting into confusion and then complete denial. And terror.

"That's... you didn't ask that as a question?" He questioned hesitantly. Dawn smiled at him and shook her head.

"Nope. Because it isn't a question."

"I- it- of course- n-no, I don't- we- I'm not- "

Dawn turned the bathroom light off and looped her arm around Giles' elbow, guiding him down the hall.

"Don't worry, Giles. It's great - _really great_. You guys belong together."

"We- we aren't- together," Giles managed to more or less say, his tone sounding strangled.

"Well, you're gonna be." Dawn told him decisively.

"We- we- "

"You guys train together again, right?" Dawn asked, and it was a minute before he nodded.

"Wh-when the opportunity presents itself."

"And she comes here to spend time with you, when she can?"

"She has a key; she's welcome here regardless of where I am."

"Ohhh," Dawn grinned, and Giles looked consternated though still confused and flustered. "You guys eat together when you're both here?"

"Of course we do; we don't _avoid_ one another." He blinked. "Anymore."

"She tells you about work? Her travels?" Giles nodded. "And you tell her about yours?"

"Yes." Giles huffed. "What is all this- "

"Do you both take care of the house? The animals?"

"Well, it took your sister a while to warm up to the horses, but they're quite fond of her now,"

"See, you're basically together already."

Giles opened his mouth, but didn't say anything before closing it again. That happened a couple more times, but then they had reached the dining room and everyone else was there and Dawn knew there was no way he was going to say anything now.

She smiled at him warmly, patted his hand, then let him go - pointedly taking the seat next to Willow, leaving the one open at the end of the table catty-corner to Buffy.

Giles stood where he was, staring at his Slayer. Buffy gave him an odd look.

"Well? Sit down, Giles; I think we've got everything." Buffy told him as Xander got to his feet. Giles slowly sat down, looking as if he wasn't quite all there, and Dawn bit her lip to keep from grinning like a fool.

"I get to do the manly thing this year!" Xander announced excitedly. "No fighting, Giles! I've got a knife in my hand." He held up the carving tools as proof, and a few of the others chuckled and rolled their eyes.

Giles wasn't paying enough attention to argue, anyway. Dawn ducked her head and squeezed her fingers together in her lap. Finally, _finally_. She's gotten real tired of her sister's pining.

"Hurry up, I'm starved." Kennedy announced.

"These patriarchal societal traditions are ridiculous." Willow added plaintively.

"Annnd, on that note," Xander ducked his head and quickly carved up the turkey - rather well, Dawn thought. She wondered if he'd done it before, or maybe practiced so that he could show off today.

She knew some of the girls, and the ones she didn't know were welcoming enough that conversation flowed rather easily. She unfortunately couldn't pay much attention to what Giles and-or Buffy were saying at the other end of the table, what with the different conversations going on, but every now and then she glanced over to check on them.

So she was able to catch when Buffy trailed her fingers over Giles' knuckles, smiling warmly at him, and the way he flushed and smiled back.

"Ohh, they are _so_ into it." Dawn hummed happily to herself.

"What was that?" Willow asked, hesitantly tasting some of the mushy peas. She made a face as if they were surprisingly pleasant, and ate another bite. Dawn grimaced at that before taking a bite of the honey-flavored cornbread.

"This is _good_." She exclaimed in surprise. "Shit. Who made this?"

" _Dawn_." Buffy sighed heavily at her language. "I did, actually." Before Dawn could snark something at her sister, Buffy nudged Giles. "See? I _told_ you it was good."

"You were trying to shove raw batter down my throat!" Giles protested. "And besides that, I _did_ acknowledge that it tasted good."

"What did I miss?" Dawn muttered to Willow, who chuckled.

"A whole lot," She replied, "as well as a whole lot of nothing."

"So no smoochies, yet?" Dawn asked her covertly, disappointed, and Willow looked surprised for a moment before she grinned conspiratorially.

"Not _yet_ , but we're heading in that direction I think."

Dawn grinned back, then glanced toward Giles again as she took a bite of turkey.

He watching Buffy, who was in the midst of a conversation with one of the younger girls - Nina, Dawn recalled her name - about an old demon she'd fought back in Sunnydale. Giles looked so lovesick it was absolutely ridiculous.

"Oh my God. I've only been here for like an hour and I'm already tired of it. That's it - I've got a plan. Roll with me?" Dawn requested of Willow, who raised her eyebrow.

"Oh...kayyyy? You know, Xander made a very good point about us not butting in,"

"Trust me," Dawn gently interrupted her. "No butting in. We'll just be... providing them opportunity."

"Opportunity for _what_?" Willow asked worriedly.

"Whatever they want." Dawn grinned, and Willow groaned, but then eventually smiled as well.

**———**

When everyone was more or less finished eating, and mostly chit-chatting, Buffy's sister announced that those who didn't cook would be helping with the clean-up. When there were some groans around the table, she pointed out that it would be finished in no time with the amount of hands they had.

Rafael agreed with relative ease - Dawn was cute, and maybe he'd get to talk to her a little more if he helped her wash dishes.

"Oh, that's not necess- " Mr. Giles began to argue, but Dawn interrupted him, still speaking more to the group,

"We'll be careful with the dishes, I promise. Come on, guys - Mom and Dad did all the cooking. Let's give them a break."

_"Mom and Dad?"_ Joel muttered, furrowing his brow. "He's our Headmaster."

While Mr. Giles did have sort of an odd look on his face, he didn't exactly look _unhappy_ about the title. Rafael shrugged, and picked up his plate, beginning to stack everyone else's as they got up from their seats. Nina began gathering silverware, and then everyone else pitched in as well, following along in varying degrees of energy.

"C'mon, _dear_ ," Rafael heard Buffy tease Mr. Giles, "Let's get out of here while the gettin's good,"

As Rafael gathered their plates onto his precarious stack, he watched Buffy snag Mr. Giles' hand and lead him to the coat closet, where they both bundled up in scarves and hats and coats before slipping out the front door.

He was curious about where they were going; would she spar some more with her Watcher, free from the awed gazes of his students? Or would they maybe go for a ride on the horses that Rafael was admittedly desperate to meet?

He loved horses. His grandparents had one, and he'd been best friends with him until he'd eventually died of old age. He hadn't ridden another horse since.

Dawn rather efficiently set up a sort of work line in the kitchen, where everyone could help out in some way without getting in the way of one another, and as Rafael waited with plates in hand he warred with himself over getting to know the Slayer's sister a little more, or maybe getting the chance to ride a horse again.

Even just the thought of petting, maybe brushing down one of the horses was enticing, and Rafael couldn't resist any longer.

After he'd eventually helped clear off the table and move everything into the kitchen, he snuck away to the stables, hoping the others wouldn't fuss too much at him later. Shoving his coat on as he jogged across the yard, he didn't see Buffy or Mr. Giles anywhere, so told himself it'd be okay enough just to greet one of the horses and have a chat through the gate.

One of the horses appeared to be sleeping, and the other chowing down on oats, but the beautiful pinto was watching him closely as he quietly stepped passed their pens.

"Hello," Rafael greeted softly, approaching the wooden slats slowly. The horse didn't move much, just kept watching him, so he figured perhaps he was more friendly. "You like sweets?" Carefully, he unfurled his fingers between the slats and revealed the sugar cubes tucked in his palm. The pinto immediately drew closer and snuffled at him briefly before snagging the treats from his hand.

Rafael grinned, watching the horse eat, ecstatic when it shifted slightly closer to he could reach its coat.

"Good boy," He murmured, petting the horse in large, slow strokes. The animal soothed him immediately, and he daydreamed about his old friend for a bit before he remembered that he might not be alone in the barn right now.

A scuffling in the back area, where the Slayers had been sparring earlier, alerted him back into focus, and he hesitated.

"I told you I'd get you!" Buffy's voice crowed.

"Buffy," Mr. Giles groaned, "I've eaten entirely too much for these kinds of shenanigans. Help me up."

"No way," Buffy laughed, and Rafael couldn't resist patting the pinto one more time before carefully inching his way closer to their voices.

He caught sight of them just as Buffy shrieked, and he watched as Mr. Giles reached out from the pile of hay and tugged her into it with him. Rafael stared in astonishment as his Headmaster proceeded to wrestle with the Slayer out of the hay and onto the floor. It was already weird enough to see the man outside of a tweed suit; anything beyond that was just...

Then Rafael considered that this could be a good opportunity for some note-taking, maybe learn some tricks to be a better Watcher, so he tucked himself behind one of the support beams and watched them quietly.

"Giles!" Buffy laughed, the sound a little more girly than what Rafael would have expected. Pieces of hay floated through the air as they rolled out onto the floor, hay in their hair as well. Rafael smirked but managed not to snort aloud at the goofy sight.

He realized that he thought it was kind of neat, that the Headmaster could have fun like that, like anybody else. He was a person, too, beneath all that paperwork and tweed.

"Come on, Buffy," Mr. Giles chided as he held his Slayer's wrists to the ground and straddled over her. "Surely you can get out of his hold."

"Maybe I'm happy exactly where I am," She replied, and Rafael widened his eyes and swallowed. He wasn't an idiot; he recognized the tone of her voice.

Maybe he should leave now. Like right now.

"Are you?" Mr. Giles questioned, and he sounded rather legitimately questioning to Rafael's ears.

"Happier than I've ever been." Buffy murmured. Mr. Giles seemed to just stare down at her for a moment, but then -

Well.

Rafael froze completely as he watched Mr. Giles kiss Buffy. It was like a train wreck - not like it was gross or anything, but, he couldn't look away. He was terrified to breathe now, and be caught.

Finding out he was spying on them for Watcher purposes would be embarrassing enough - if they caught him _now_? He'd never be able to explain himself out of it.

He had to admit, though, maybe he could still be taking notes. Mr. Giles certainly looked like he knew what he was doing, if Buffy's responses were anything to go by. She twisted her hands free of his grasp only to slide them around his waist and up his back beneath the open drape of his coat.

Mr. Giles lowered himself more fully on top of Buffy, and then one of them moaned, and Rafael twisted quickly to press his back against the wooden beam he was hiding behind, blinking quickly. He needed to leave _right now_.

"Giles," Buffy sighed, her use of his name very different than it had been before, and Rafael scrambled to his feet, hoping they wouldn't hear the quiet scurry of his footsteps over the rustling of their coats.

Rafael all-out sprinted across the yard once he was out of the barn, bursting through the back door and down the hall toward the coat closet like demons were on his tail.

"What- where were you?" Kennedy demanded, stepping out into the hall to watch him hurriedly shrug out of his coat and shove it back into the closet. "And what the hell is wrong with you?"

"Nothing! N-nothing is wrong!" He insisted, closing the door and patting himself down. He took a deep breath, then tried to settle his racing heart. He hadn't been caught. Everything was fine. "I um, I took some scraps out to the horses..." He half-lied. Sugar cubes didn't exactly count as scraps. "I um, need to pee."

He bounded upstairs to hide in one of the restrooms up there, wanting to avoid the others until he could calm down completely.

He hesitated in the hallway when he heard Dawn's voice come from one of the opened bedrooms. She was chatting with someone, sounding a little anxious about something. For a second Rafael completely forgot about what he'd seen in the barn and only thought about what he could do to help Dawn feel better.

"C'mon, Willow - help me out! There's got to be _something_ \- hey, what if we decorate for Christmas early? Hang a few mistletoe?" Dawn suggested. As Willow looked unsure about that idea, Rafael stepped fully into the room and hesitantly announced,

"I don't think you'll have to worry about any of that."

"What?" Dawn and Willow both said at the same time, facing him. He was a bit nervous being this close to them; Dawn was even prettier up close, and Willow was a powerful witch and not to mention one of his professors at the school.

"The... your plan to set up Mr. Giles and Buffy. You don't have to worry about that." He wasn't sure that he should be sharing this information, but he had to get it off his chest. And he figured it'd be _worse_ if he told one of his other school friends, instead.

"Why?" Dawn approached him suddenly, grasping his shoulders. "What do you know?" She demanded.

"I, uh," He was a bit overwhelmed by her intensity, and the fact she was touching him. "I saw them, in the barn. They, uh, were wrestling around,"

"Oh, that's normal." Willow dropped her shoulders in disappointment. "They've been sparring together for years."

"Did that include, erm, kissing?"

" _What!_ " Both girl's exclaimed at the same time, and Dawn's fingers tightened around Rafael's arms. He grimaced slightly; her hold on him almost hurt.

"They uh, they kissed."

"Are you for real?" Dawn demanded, and he nodded vehemently in response to her tone.

"No mistake. It was definitely..." He hesitated as he recalled, and then blushed a little. "Intent."

"Oh my God!" Dawn squealed, and Rafael jumped from the sudden uptick in volume. "Oh my _God!_ " She whirled toward Willow, who had stood from her chair and was gaping in amazement. " _Oh my God_ ," Dawn suddenly turned back toward Rafael, grasped his cheeks in both of her hands, and then planted her mouth against his. "Brilliant!" She exclaimed breathlessly before he could barely get a handle on the situation, and she was whirling away from him again, grasping Willow's hands and tugging her into a dance around the room.

Rafael blinked, the girls' joyful laughing fading into the background as he tried to acclimate.

Dawn Summers had just _kissed_ him!

**———**

By mid-evening, everyone had returned to the campus save for the Scoobies. They sat sprawled about in Giles' living room, spiked eggnog in hand and fire flickering in the hearth.

"Today was perfect, Buffy, thank you," Willow told the Slayer currently stretched out on her tummy on the floor in front of the fire. "I guess Thanksgiving's alright, when it means I get to see my friends." She and Buffy shared a grin.

"It was pretty perfect, wasn't it?" Buffy replied, looking at Giles. Willow didn't mind that, and hid her amusement behind her mug.

"Quite lovely." Giles agreed, and Willow glanced toward Xander again to find him comically rolling his eyes in a large gesture that was amazingly completely missed by the Watcher.

Or perhaps, not so amazingly after all. Giles was completely focused on Buffy, and it was obvious. As if catching himself just when Willow thought that, Giles cleared his throat and looked at the ground.

"I'm in need of a refill. Anyone else?" He offered, getting to his feet, and Willow nodded, passing him her mug when he reached out for it.

As soon as he had left the living room, Dawn turned fully toward Buffy.

"Out with it." She demanded, and Buffy gave her a perplexed look. "Did you kiss Giles?"

"Wh- " Buffy looked surprised, at first, but then she didn't.

After a moment, she smiled.

"No." She said, and when they all frowned she added a bit smugly, "Giles kissed me."

Willow couldn't help but gape, the matter fully proven now and just as much a surprise as it was the first time she'd heard it.

" _Well?_ " Dawn pressed. "Did you kiss him _back?_ " Buffy pursed her lips for a second, but then grinned and nodded.

"I did."

Dawn shouted loudly with joy, startling Xander into spilling some of his 'nog onto his chest, and she pushed herself off of the couch to leap at her sister.

"Yes! Yes yes yes yes I knew it! I knew it!" She tackled Buffy, who managed to set her mug off to the side and rolled with her sister away from it and the fireplace.

"Dawn!" Buffy protested, laughing, as Dawn hugged and rolled around on the floor with her.

Willow and Xander shared a fond look, and smiled at each other, just as pleased by the confirmation but managing to act a little more calm about it.

"So," Buffy gasped for air once Dawn finally let her sit up. "It's... it's okay?" She looked to the other Scoobies hesitantly, and Xander snorted.

"I couldn't tell ya, I've never kissed Giles before." He replied. Buffy gave him a look, but then smiled gratefully.

"It's very, _very_ of the okay, Buffy." Willow assured her, and she seemed to fully relax at that, and then beamed. "So?" Willow leaned forward and rested her elbows on her knees. "Dish. How was it? Is he as good at it as he looks like he is?"

"What does _that_ mean?" Xander frowned, and Dawn snorted.

"Nothing," Willow added quickly, blushing a little. Her Giles-crush had been a long time ago, certainly, but still... she'd had a lot of daydreams, in those days.

"He's..." Buffy hesitated, but not to tease them this time. She let out a breath, almost like a sigh, and Dawn fell onto her back on the floor, pretending to swoon.

"Wuv! Twue wuv!" She cried out happily, quoting an old favorite movie-night special, and Buffy laughed even as she pushed at her.

"What's... going on?" Giles paused in the doorway, two mugs in hand as he watched Dawn with a sideways look.

"Dawn kissed Rafael." Willow blurted without thinking, trying to cover for Buffy in case she didn't want Giles to know she'd told them what had happened.

" _Dawn did what_." Buffy exclaimed, and Dawn wailed in an entirely different tone.

"Will _ow_!" She scrambled to her feet and fled the room, chased very closely by Buffy.

"Hm." Giles responded once the chaos had ascended up the stairs. He approached the couch to hand off Willow's mug, and then returned to his chair. "If I recall, the young man is barely seventeen."

"It wasn't romantic or anything," Willow hurriedly clarified. "Dawn was just... excited about something, and he happened to be there. Honestly, she probably would have just as quickly kissed me in that situation."

"Dawn is bisexual?" Xander wondered in surprise, and Willow rolled her eyes.

" _No_ , Xander. I'm just saying she hadn't meant anything by it. She'd just been... highly emotional at the time."

"Emotional about what?" Giles wondered innocently, sipping his drink, and Willow glanced nervously in Xander's direction. He shrugged helplessly at her.

"Uhhhhh she'd heard some news." Willow replied a little too fast-paced.

"News about what?" Giles asked, and he didn't sound suspicious whatsoever, but Willow's nerves skyrocketed.

"Good news!" Willow huffed, and Giles gave her an odd look.

"All right... I won't press."

"You kissed Buffy!" Willow blurted, just as the two sisters slid back into the room.

Giles slowly widened his eyes, then looked up at Buffy, who stared back at him with an equally wide-eyed look.

"I thought you weren't sure about telling them!"

"They already knew!" Buffy defended herself, and before they could start a spat Willow put in,

"Rafael told us, not Buffy. That's why Dawn kissed him."

Buffy turned toward Dawn.

"You just told me you _didn't_ really kiss him!"

"Well, I didn't kiss him like you kissed Giles!" Dawn retorted, and Buffy sort of oddly winced and Giles groaned and dropped his head into his hand.

"I didn't tell!" Buffy insisted, and Willow clarified,

"Rafael saw you guys, earlier in the barn. We made him promise not to tell anyone else, though."

"Why was - what was he doing in the barn?" Giles demanded, his expression also just as weird as Buffy's.

"Bonding with the horses, I think. He used to have one when he was little and misses it." Willow shrugged. "He said he heard you sparring, and thought he might get to learn some extra Watchery things before the rest of the students..."

Buffy snorted loudly, then covered her face with her hands.

"Dear heavens." Giles muttered, not looking directly at any of them.

"And when he saw you guys kiss he hightailed it out of there. God, he was so mortified." Dawn giggled. "He thought for sure he was gonna get caught by the evil Headmaster and kicked out of the school."

"What- I'm not evil!" Giles protested. He lifted his head and finally looked at them again. "He saw us kiss? That's it?"

"Well, apparently there was some wrestling in the hay first?" Dawn mentioned with a raised eyebrow, and Xander guffawed. Giles gave him a look and he snapped his mouth shut, though his eyes still danced with humor.

"Oh, well, that's not so bad." Buffy relaxed and took a breath, and Willow gave her a wide-eyed look.

"What do you mean that's not so bad?! What else- oh no, no. I don't want to know."

"I do." Xander piped up, and Buffy snagged the nearby pillow from the end of the couch and threw it at his head.

"Can we please discuss something else?" Giles lightly begged, and Dawn snorted and shook her head.

"Hell no! What else is there to talk about? I wanna know the deets!" She insisted, and Buffy gave her a look as she crossed the room toward Giles. "What? All I said was hell. We _lived_ over hell for years, Buff."

"Besides, she _is_ an adult, now." Xander pointed out, and Buffy huffed as she paused beside Giles' chair.

"Don't remind me." She hesitated, and looked down at Giles before looking back to the other three, who were all gathered on the couch again. She looked like she felt like this was some kind of inquisition, or something. "You're really not... spazzing?"

"Well, Dawn sort of did already," Willow joked, and then snickered when Dawn elbowed her.

"Really not." Xander assured gently, and Willow could see by Buffy's expression just how much that meant to her, coming from him. "You've already dated people we didn't like. Giles is a gigantic improvement."

"Gee, thanks." Buffy rolled her eyes, but then quirked her lips in a soft grin.

"I think so, too." Giles added brightly, and Buffy scowled and punched his shoulder with the side of her fist. "Ow!" He winced and put his hand against his arm more out of reaction than in any pain; Willow had seen Buffy hit him harder than that during training.

"How long have you two been with the smooching?" Dawn asked. "Giles says you come here all the time, and- "

"That's right," Xander realized, "You guys are hanging out and getting along and training together again."

Buffy and Giles looked at each other again, as if they were surprised by one another, but then they both grinned in a kind of embarrassed way. Willow slowly smiled. They were cute.  
  


Buffy gingerly sat down on the arm of Giles' chair, and took up the hand nearest her between her own, holding it atop her leg. Their fingers threaded together as neither of them quite looked at the others; Willow supposed they were trying to figure out what to say.

The shy way Giles smiled when Buffy rubbed her thumb against his wrist made Willow realize that this part of their relationship was new, very new. That kiss Rafael had accidentally seen might've even been their first. Willow was overwhelmed with happiness at the thought, but she also thought that Buffy and Giles deserved to keep that for themselves.

"It doesn't really matter, I think, does it?" Willow said notably to her couch-mates. "It's Buffy and Giles," She half-shrugged, and looked to the two on the chair again. "You two go together."

"Yeah, no spazzing of the negative variety from us." Xander promised, and Dawn nodded in agreement.

"I just, when I said 'Buffy and Giles should get back together', I didn't think it was gonna be like, _together_ together." She admitted, and Buffy raised her eyebrow. Dawn gave her a defensive look. "What? We all wanted you guys to make up!"

"The making _out_ is bonus good news." Willow grinned at Buffy, who pursed her lips in effort to contain her snort of amusement, but it didn't exactly work. Giles cleared his throat, both in discomfort and as a sound of warning. "This was a long time coming."

"A long time coming?" Buffy repeated incredulously. "It was a surprise to me!"

"Was it?" Willow raised her eyebrow and gave her best friend a knowing look. "All that over-defensiveness, the jealousy,"

"I was not jealous!" Buffy defended entirely unbelievably. Giles looked up at her in amazed realization.

"Dear heavens, Buffy, is that- I never even considered- "

"The possibility wasn't even on your radar; it wasn't supposed to be." Buffy muttered, looking down at their hands. "I did my best to ignore it, too."

"Buffy had the hots for Giles!" Xander exclaimed. "Wow wow wow!" Then he dropped his voice into a conspiratorial whisper, "Back in high school?"

"No!" Buffy huffed immediately, blushing. "Of course not!"

"Totally in high school." Dawn grinned, and Buffy glared at her.

"That's- ... wouldn't have been appropriate..." Giles furrowed his brow as if he were confused.

"Of course it wasn't! Which was why I didn't..." Buffy sighed heavily. "Didn't make a big deal about it. I shoved it down and focused on other stuff. _Anyway_ , it's not like I've _always_ had a crush on Giles." She half-pouted. "It was off and on!"

"You have a crush on me?" Giles wondered brightly, and Buffy rolled her eyes.

"I _kissed_ you, you dork."

"How off and on?" Xander wondered, and looked at Willow. "Did you know? You guys talked about girly stuff. Boys and shopping and whatever."

"I, um," Willow hesitated, thinking over old memories. It had never been anything clear and direct, but sometimes... "Sometimes, I wondered if it was possible." She admitted, then sent Buffy an apologetic look. "Just every now and then. Sometimes I'd see you look at Giles and for just a second, it was like... but then I'd blink and it'd be gone and I just figured I was projecting."

" _Projecting?_ " Giles spluttered.

"Oh please, I was so obvious." Willow rolled her eyes. "I thought you were the bees knees, back when I was into guys. Well, I mean you're still the bees knees, just not, like, romantically." She glanced toward Buffy. "To me." Giles looked confused, uncomfortable, and touched all at once, which Willow could understand.

"So... why's it happening now?" Xander wondered. "Why hadn't it ever happened earlier?"

Buffy hesitantly looked at Giles, who gave her a small smile in return.

"The timing was never quite right." He murmured, and that was an obvious understatement.

"So this is for real, right?" Xander checked. "Because if we end up needing to choose sides, sorry Giles I love ya but I already made the mistake of not choosing Buffy's side, before."

"This is for real." Buffy answered softly, still looking at Giles.

The way he looked back at her made Willow want to swoon.

"This is so weird and so cute all at once." Dawn commented, and Giles ducked his head in embarrassment. They were all quiet for a moment, until Buffy squinted at her sister and said,

"Did you really kiss Rafael?"

"Probably made his day, too." Dawn smirked, and Giles sighed and half-rolled his eyes. "It was straight on and simple," Dawn really did roll her eyes, at Giles. "Stop being such a _dad_. It's not like I _made out_ with him _on the barn floor_ ,"

Giles blushed even deeper, and Buffy bit her bottom lip. The fingers that weren't currently tangled between his had drifted further up his wrist, pushing up the sleeve of his sweater slightly, stroking his skin. Willow looked between them for a moment, and figured it was time to table the conversation.

"Can we come by tomorrow afternoon? It's been a long day, and I'm beat." Willow announced, standing to her feet.

"Oh, there's no need for you to leave, certainly not this late. There's plenty of room here for all of us." Giles told her, and she tilted her head at him and Buffy.

"Are you... sure?" She asked, and Buffy laughed.

"C'mon, I've got some extra pj's you could borrow," Buffy squeezed Giles' hand before slipping away from him. "And Xan,"

"I sleep in the nude." Xander interrupted, to which Willow immediately snorted in disbelief. They've been friends for years and knew otherwise.

"Not with my sister in the house, you don't." Buffy replied anyway, and Dawn groaned and rolled her eyes.

"I'm sure I can scrounge up something for you." Giles sighed dryly as he stood as well.

He followed Willow and Buffy up the stairs, but turned down the opposite end of the hall that Buffy was going.

"This way, Will," Buffy gestured. "The guest rooms are all here. And a bathroom too, there," She pointed at the ajar door with her thumb as they passed it.

"Guest _rooms_? This place _is_ big."

"Well, according to Giles there was a room for him, one for his sister, an office for his dad, and the last two rooms for his aunts when they visited - which they apparently did a lot." Buffy explained as she led the way into the room directly across from the bathroom. “And then of course the master, at the other end of the hall.” She gestured back the way they came.

"Sister? Giles has a sister?" Willow asked in surprise. She looked around the room in even more surprise. "How long have you been living here, Buffy?"

"Living-? I don't,"

"Buffy." Willow interrupted, raising her eyebrow, and held her arm out to the side. Buffy shifted her focus toward the set of drawers as she shrugged her shoulders.

The room wasn't messy or cluttered, but it was filled with enough knick-knacks that Willow knew it wasn't a short-term kind of thing. The coloring of the wallpaper and furniture even seemed more in Buffy's tastes. Dawn had told her Giles had let it slip Buffy had been visiting almost every month for the last year, but Willow had thought Dawn was exaggerating a bit.

This room said otherwise.

"The furniture and stuff was here when I came," Buffy explained a little defensively, as if she could read Willow's mind. "Like I said, Giles lets me visit whenever I want. He wanted me to have a room I felt comfortable in."

"That's so sweet." Willow smiled, and Buffy huffed, but ended up smiling a little as well.

"At first I was kind of annoyed by it," Buffy admitted. "Like he'd always expected me to come, at some point - like he knew me better than I knew myself. But the first time I came, he wasn't even here. I mean, he let me in and gave me a key and showed me around, but he didn't stay. He didn't hover, or try to make our friendship better immediately."

Buffy paused, her hands resting inside the clothes drawer.

"He pretty much gave me his house and then gave me my space."

"That surprised you." Willow could tell. She slowly sat down on the edge of the bed, wanting Buffy to continue telling her story.

"Well, sure it did. Sunnydale happened, good and a hell of a lot of bad, and while we parted more or less amicably, we didn't see each another once for two years after that." Buffy pulled out the pajamas she'd been looking for, then turned and nudged the drawer closed with her hip, leaning against it and holding the clothes in folded arms against her chest. "We barely talked, as you know."

"Yeah." Willow nodded. Most of the time when they HAD needed to talk regarding Slayer stuff, either Willow or Xander ended up being the middle-man.

"I had prepared myself for us to rip open old wounds and hash everything out and either eventually forgive each other, or totally cut ourselves out completely. And none of that happened. Every now and then he would call, ask about the house and the horses and if I needed any supplies." Buffy took a breath, and the perplexed expression on her face relaxed. "For the first couple of times I crashed here, that's how it worked. We never were here at the same time. Until eventually I... I asked him if he had a few days free."

Willow patted the bed next to her, and Buffy came to sit beside her. Willow bumped her shoulder against Buffy's, getting a little smile out of Buffy before she continued,

"It was totally awkward. The first day was easier because he spent the time catching up with the housekeepers, and tending the horses. It actually... it's probably all because of the horses. I asked him to show me how to care for them, you know, just in case something happened while I was around and his guys couldn't come take care of them."

"That's cute," Willow grinned. "Kinda romantic."

"It wasn't like that," Buffy gave her a dry look, shaking her head. "It was... very tense. I think the horse - Otto, he's the one who likes me the most. The one I'm most comfortable with. Anyway I think he could tell; all the air between us was just... really tense. But eventually I realized I could talk about stuff while brushing him down, and sort of keep my emotions in check, and just be honest with Giles without like blowing up about it."

"That's why you guys didn't tell us you were seeing each other again." Willow hummed. "You said you had to work yourselves out,"

"Yeah, we really did." Buffy nodded. "I think it would've been impossible had anybody else been there. We couldn't deal with anyone else's emotions while we were just trying to straighten our own out."

"That makes sense." Willow murmured, and Buffy rested her head on her shoulder.

"Eventually, Giles started coming by more and more often while I was here. And then I realized I was finding excuses to be 'traveling through' more and more. And we went from eating meals together to doing other stuff; sometimes he had to bring work home with him, and I... I actually helped him research."

"What!" Willow exclaimed teasingly, and Buffy giggled and lightly elbowed her.

"We started going for walks around his land, not because he was teaching me about something, but just because we wanted to. And he taught me to ride Otto - which I think almost ruined our steps forward," Buffy laughed, "but I eventually did alright. I actually enjoy riding a bit, now. At least, with Otto."

"You're braver than me," Willow replied. "He's a gorgeous animal but I'll keep my two feet planted firmly on the ground, thank you very much."

"I think it was about a year of all that, I could say Giles was my friend again." Buffy looked immensely pleased by that, and Willow beamed. "He talked to me about some of the students at the school, and I started showing him some new moves I'd come up with while I was out slaying on my own. He kept - he keeps on, actually - trying to get me to teach a class or two myself, but I can't... I can't go to London right now.”

Willow nodded in understanding. Buffy didn't like the notoriety she had amongst the younger generations, _especially_ now that she was part of their history books.

"You guys don't get into fights about that?" Willow wondered curiously, thinking of their tempers, especially in regards to one another. They had always seemed able to pull one another's nerves for just about anything at all, even the trivial stuff.

Of course now, Willow figured it's because they know one another so well, and they care about one another so much. No one can annoy you quite like the one who loves you the most.

"Of course we do." Buffy snorted, and shrugged again. "We've finally figured out how to argue in a healthy way, though." Willow acknowledged that with approval, and then said,

"So... you started sparring with him again to give him stuff to teach the other Slayers?"

"Yeah. And the Watchers-in-training too. We talked a lot about us, and those first few years; stuff that was good, stuff that could've gone better..." Buffy smiled in a way that made Willow think 'lovesick'. "He wasn't ready for so much of what I put him through," Buffy laughed a little at that, and Willow did too.

"What? High school drama, emotional turmoil, puberty?"

"At the least." They laughed together, until Buffy said, "He wants Watchers to be different, to be better partners for their Slayers. I mean it's already so different anyway; most of them are all the same age. The kids of the Watchers that were killed in the old Headquarters. He can't do much about what's left of the current Council, unfortunately, but Xander deals with them well enough, and he's given Giles full-reign over what happens with the school."

"Yeah, the Board doesn't exactly love Giles, but the bi-annual meetings go fairly smoothly all things considered." Willow noted. She wasn't officially Deputy Headmaster of the school, but oftentimes Giles treated her as his second simply because she was familiar with the issues he dealt with, and they were dear friends.

"I admire him so much for that." Buffy murmured, and then shifted to meet Willow's eyes rather shyly. "Before I knew it we were even meditating together again. Honing. _Connecting_ , you know?"

"Like you'd been when he was still your Watcher?" Willow asked, and Buffy nodded. "You know, those were some of the times I wondered... when you guys would be on the same page like that. And you'd have conversations without even speaking to one another. It was different with the rest of us. We figured it was Watcher-Slayer stuff."

"Some of it is," Buffy nodded. "Nothing mystical or anything, but there is a bond. Makes sense, after all. And of course I hated it; being a teenager and feeling so… intimate. With an adult? It didn't matter that he was my Watcher - he was also the librarian at my school. A teacher. Older than all of my other friends. Plus, I was still denying my crush and the bond didn't help."

"It never bothered _me_ that he was the librarian." Willow commented, and Buffy rolled her eyes and nudged her with her elbow again.

"Fellow nerds."

"You were pretty nerdy yourself, you know." Willow pointed out more seriously. "You always tried to hide it, but you aren't dumb. There were times when Giles noticed, too. And he- " Willow stopped and widened her eyes, and laughed. "Oh my God, he loved it. You'd say something kinda nerdy and he would just _light up_."

"Stop it." Buffy laughed. After they both eventually sobered, she continued, "I've loved Giles for a long time. Even when I was pissed at him, I still loved him... which had made me more pissed. And now... now I love him... differently."

"Romantically?" Willow clarified, almost breathlessly. Knowing they kissed was amazing enough - to hear Buffy actually say the words that she was in love with him was far more beyond that.

"This last year I've lived here more than anywhere else. I've only accepted jobs within the country, or near the big airports if I have to go outside of Britain. I don't always see him but he's around a lot more often as well. It's like I was racing for something I just couldn't quite see. It'd be on the tip of my tongue but then as soon as I saw him I..."

"Chicken out?" Willow figured knowingly, and Buffy furrowed her brow thoughtfully.

"Not exactly out of fear. Not completely anyway. I would just think, 'here we are now, after everything. This is wonderful. Why push for anything more?' And I know that sounds like fear but it was more... just knowing us. And my life. And the way things go."

"You chickened out." Willow stated.

"I'm no chicken!" Buffy growled, and Willow started making clucking noises under her breath. Buffy pushed her over onto the mattress, which made her laugh, and then Buffy laughed too.

"So what made you kiss him today, then?" Willow caught her breath and pushed herself back up into a seated position.

"I don't know." Buffy looked honestly perplexed. "We really were sparring. Neither of us wanted to, when the others were. And that isn't because of anything romantic, it's just..." She frowned. "I don't know, maybe it was after all. It feels like something intimate between us. When I'm training somebody else, it's different than when I'm working with Giles. He knows me, knows the way I move, knows my limitations, knows how to push me passed them. And he's never afraid of me - I mean, so long as I don't go all caveman on him," They both laughed again at that.

"That is an intimacy," Willow murmured, nodding at her. "Not necessarily romantic in nature, but still intimate. I get it."

"I don't know what was different today." Buffy shrugged again, got to her feet, and handed Willow the folded pajamas. "He just... finally saw it on my face, maybe. One second we were teasing each other like usual and the next he..." Buffy looked a little distant as she considered the memory, and paced toward the window. "He looked surprised and then he looked amazed and terrified all at once."

"And then?" Willow leaned forward when Buffy didn't add anything else. This was better than the last trashy novel she'd read!

"And then he looked relieved. Like, bone-deep relieved." Buffy turned back to face Willow, and shrugged nonchalantly. "And then he kissed me."

"You can act ‘whatever’ all you want Buffy - I saw your face in the living room when you first told us about it!" Willow crowed happily, and Buffy grinned and blushed, turning her head away slightly.

"He's really good at it." Buffy admitted conspiratorially, and Willow whooped.

"I knew it!"

"Sh!"

"What were you afraid of Rafael seeing?" Willow pressed, and Buffy seriously blushed then, and didn't say anything at first. Willow gaped at her. "Did you two _really_ \- in _the barn?_ "

"No!" Buffy hissed. "Keep your voice down! We didn't- I mean, we didn't mean to- I mean I wasn't expecting- "

"If this isn't supposed to be about sex, you're making it sound an awful lot like sex." Willow told her friend dryly.

"Well... we didn't really... have sex, but I... ummm, I might've..." Buffy trailed off and looked at Willow sideways. Willow raised her eyebrows in question. She still had a thousand guesses to Buffy's barely-clear explanation. "Okay, okay, we were a little grabby maybe - but we didn't even lose any clothes!"

_"Oh my God."_

"I've never come fully clothed before. God, what if he thinks I'm easy?" Buffy moaned and began to pace nervously. "It's so embarrassing."

" _Embarrassing?_ " Willow repeated incredulously. "Buffy, that's- "

"There were just, a lot of emotions going on okay? And it was Giles, I mean, _Giles_ , on top of me and kissing me and his hands in my hair and- " Buffy panicked. "Oh my God, I'm getting horny again just thinking about it. I'm a ho!"

"You're not a ho, Buffy," Willow laughed gently, and tucked the pajamas under her arm as she stood and reached out to grasp Buffy's shoulders and hold her still. "You have an incredible amount of love for the guy, and over a decade of history together to go with it. I'm sure Giles doesn't think you're easy. Giles probably thinks he's the luckiest guy in the damn world."

Willow understood Buffy's panic. Something that intense could be just as scary as it was awesome.

That had been Tara.

"Did you tell him?" Willow murmured, and Buffy looked at her askance.

"That I came from making out with him? No! I mean, he might know anyway - I don't know, he was pretty distracted at the time- "

"That you're in love with him." Willow correct, smiling with amusement at Buffy's one-track focus.

"N- ...no. I mean, not in so many words." She admitted.

"You should tell him." Willow said firmly, and using her grip on Buffy's shoulders urged her toward the door.

"What? Now?"

"Yes." Willow nodded. Buffy sort of dragged her feet, but did allow Willow to shuffle her out into the hall and toward the master room. "Make sure he knows, clearly. You need to be as clear about this as you guys have been with everything else. You just told me how well that all ended up working out for you," Willow reasoned, and Buffy froze and leaned back against Willow's hands, no longer budging.

"This is gonna change everything." Buffy whispered, staring at Giles' opened bedroom door a few feet away.

"It will," Willow agreed, "and it won't." When Buffy half-turned to look at her questioningly, she gave the Slayer another firm push forward. "You're Buffy and Giles, like I said before. You go together."

"We _belong_ with each other?" Buffy huffed. "That kind of soulmate crap didn't help me and Angel."

"I'm not saying he's your soulmate, Buffy." Willow replied soothingly. "But I said 'go' instead of 'belong' for a reason. You guys are more than just fate, I think, and far better than that. You fight for each other. Opposites _do_ attract in some ways, after all, and those things that could draw you apart have instead brought you back together." Willow gestured at her. "You just told me as much."

"We're more than fate." Buffy repeated in a curious whisper, clearly liking the sound of it. Willow gave her another nudge.

"Go talk to Giles. Well, get me Xander's p.j.'s first. Then if you guys don't come back out tonight, I'll show the gang to their rooms."

"Willow..." At Buffy's tired and worried look, Willow grinned.

"I'm just sayin', don't worry about us, okay? Go talk to Giles."

Willow stood away from the door in the hall while Buffy shuffled inside, smiling happily to herself.

"What's wrong?" She heard Giles ask; probably from seeing Buffy's expression.

"Can we, um, talk?"

"...Yes." He sounded almost grave, and suddenly tense. Willow frowned; that wasn't exactly a good start. "Let me just get these- "

"Hand them over," Buffy interrupted, and there was a beat of silence. "Come on." After another beat, Willow heard the rustling of clothes, and then Buffy's footsteps before she joined her in the hall again. "Here. And no hovering." She warned, and Willow gave her the best innocent face she could muster. Buffy rolled her eyes, but went back into Giles' room without saying anything else.

She closed the door, too.

Willow pressed her ear against it.

"I- um... would you like some tea?" Giles offered.

"You have a kettle in your room?!"

"Er... no. But, we could,"

"No, I don't wanna put this off." Buffy interrupted firmly, and Willow could hear Giles take a deep breath. "Stop looking so scared, geez! You're making me nervous."

"I... sorry?" He hesitantly apologized.

"Look, I want to tell you- I want to make sure you know- I mean, ... oh, hell." Buffy sighed. "Hold on."

Before Willow could respond to the nearing footsteps, the bedroom door wrenched open and she stumbled back, straightening. She immediately grinned apologetically, glancing toward Giles standing in the room behind Buffy (looking way confused and definitely scared).

"I can't tell him I'm in love with him while you're _eavesdropping_." Buffy complained. "I can hear you breathing on the other side of the door!"

"Sorry." Willow replied, not really all that sorry at all. At Buffy's words, Giles' expression had changed dramatically. Willow smiled wider, and met Buffy's gaze again. "I'll leave now." She gave Giles a little wave. "Good-night!"

Buffy shut the door again before he could respond to Willow, but Willow doubted if Giles would have ever responded to her anyway. He hadn't appeared to have noticed her.

"Ugh." Buffy grumbled on the other side of the door.

"You're trying to tell me you're in love with me?" Giles questioned.

"Oh. Well... yeah."

"Buffy," Giles sighed her name like she was everything he'd ever wanted, and that was when Willow skipped away, hopping down the steps with a huge smile on her face.

"Here ya go, Xander." She tossed his pajamas in his direction and plopped down on the couch beside Dawn. He had to let go of Dawn's hand to catch them, and gave Willow a confused look.

"Where are the lovebirds?"

"Bein' all lovebirdy, I imagine." Willow mused, and Dawn groaned.

"I'm taking the room at the furthest end of the hall." She announced firmly, getting to her feet. Had she been sitting that awfully close to Xander, earlier? "Night, guys. See you in the morning."

"Goodnight, Dawnie." Xander replied softly, and when they were alone Willow narrowed her eyes at him.

"What's going on?" Willow demanded.

"I don't know," Xander admitted, looking Willow in the eye, knowing her protectiveness over Dawn. He was just as protective, after all. "Something new."

"Man, what is it about this house?" Willow wondered rhetorically. "Do I need to test for love spells?"

"No," Xander laughed, and set the pajamas aside to pick up the mugs that had been left behind. Willow joined him, following him to the kitchen so they could do the last bit of washing up before turning in for the night. "I think it just has something to do with that timing thing Giles had mentioned."

"She's had a crush on you for a long time," Willow murmured, bumping her shoulder against his.

"I know." Xander half-grimaced. "And for a while it was one of my best friend's little sister with a crush on me. It was weird but cute and mostly annoying. And now... it's not."

"It's still the cute part." Willow noted, and he sent her a tiny smile.

"Yeah, a little." He agreed warmly. Then he nudged Willow back, and returned, "You were up there for a bit. Did Buffy tell you about what happened?"

"Yeah," Willow lit up, and began to share with him what she'd been told, only leaving out the more intimate parts Buffy probably wouldn't want anyone else knowing.

* * *


End file.
